In the chaotic waters of the New World, on an island that appeared utterly unremarkable on any map, the air itself vibrated with power.
CLANG!
BANG!
Despite the lack of any visible civilization, powerful impacts shattered the quiet at regular intervals.
"Whoa... Are the Captain and the others still at it? It's been nearly a full day," a young pirate wearing a bandana murmured to his crewmate, his eyes wide with awe.
"Haha, this is nothing!" his companion laughed, a sentiment echoed by the veteran pirates around them. For the crew of the Red Hair Pirates, this was just a typical Tuesday. After all, their captain was none other than "Red-Haired" Shanks, one of the four Emperors of the Sea.
The rookie nodded, his awe turning to shock as his gaze locked onto the horizon. "Hey... look! There's someone on the water!"
Every head swiveled towards his pointed finger. On the distant line where the sky met the sea, the massive, grotesque head of a Sea King was slowly rising from the depths. But it was the figure beside it that stole their breath. A lone man, too far to make out clearly, was walking across the surface of the ocean.
Stranger still, the figure wasn't riding the colossal beast. He was walking on the water, effortlessly dragging the Sea King behind him as if it were a disobedient pet.
The relaxed smiles vanished from the faces of the crew. In an instant, they were on their feet, weapons drawn, ready for a fight.
"Stand down, boys," a calm voice called out. Yasopp, the legendary sniper of the Red Hair Pirates, lowered his rifle, his dreadlocks swaying. "He's no enemy." His Observation Haki had identified the newcomer long before he was visible to the naked eye.
Lucky Roux, a man as round as the leg of meat he was perpetually chewing, waddled to the shoreline. "He's finally here," he mumbled happily. "Naruto's arrived! Time to get the banquet ready!"
"Naruto?" a new crewmate whispered, his eyes wide. The name struck a chord. "You don't mean... the Naruto?"
His voice was filled with a mixture of fear and reverence. "The Great Hero? The One-Man Army? Naruto Uzumaki!?"
While that name might not ring many bells in the first half of the Grand Line, here in the New World, it was a name spoken with the same weight as the Emperors themselves.
"The very same," another pirate confirmed in a hushed tone. "The man who single-handedly defeated a Marine Admiral and earned a spot on the World Government's most-wanted list."
The younger pirates buzzed with excitement. The legend of Naruto Uzumaki had been a fixture in the news ever since they were children. It was said that if he weren't a lone wolf, preferring his own company to that of a crew, the New World wouldn't have Four Emperors—it would have five.
Deep within the island's interior, a valley bore the scars of a legendary duel. What was once a landscape of jagged, towering rock formations had been pulverized into a desolate wasteland, annihilated by the mere shockwaves of the battle. It was a mercy the island was uninhabited; any living creature would have long since perished in the crossfire.
CLANG!
Blades wreathed in shimmering Haki clashed once more. A stray shockwave from the impact arced outwards, cleanly shearing the top off a distant mountain. Shanks's saber, Gryphon, met the immense, cross-shaped blade of Yoru with a ringing protest of steel, holding its own against the legendary Black Blade.
Another thunderous clash radiated waves of raw power. Even after a full day of fighting, neither swordsman showed any sign of fatigue, their stamina seemingly limitless.
Suddenly, Shanks, holding his sword with his one remaining hand, paused. He seemed to sense something, a flicker of a grin touching his lips.
His opponent, the world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, had no intention of stopping. He pressed his assault, his golden eyes narrowed in concentration.
With a sigh, Shanks poured a fresh wave of Haki into his blade.
"Divine Departure!"
This single strike was on another level entirely. The raw power of the slash tore through Mihawk's own attack, obliterating it completely. The aftershock, a crescent of pure destructive energy, rocketed towards the valley entrance.
Only then did Mihawk's own Haki register a new presence at the mouth of the valley. It was too late to counter the attack. He shot a questioning glance at Shanks.
To Mihawk's astonishment, Shanks showed no concern, calmly sheathing Gryphon as if the incoming attack was a mere gust of wind.
BOOM!
The explosion of dust and rock obscured the entrance. Even as a mere aftershock, a slash from an Emperor was a terrifying thing. Yet, the figure standing in the epicenter of the blast hadn't moved an inch.
As the dust settled, a tall man with long, golden hair came into view. He wore a loose, orange haori over a simple black outfit, his long hair tied back in a casual ponytail. In his left hand, he held a large cask of sake. His right hand was held out before him, palm open, having just casually swatted aside an attack powerful enough to cleave mountains.
Mihawk's eyes widened slightly. The blond man hadn't used a trace of Haki. He had stopped the slash with his raw physical body alone.
What a terrifying man, Mihawk thought, his golden eyes narrowing. To block that with his bare flesh…
"Hey, hey, Shanks," the man said, his voice carrying a playful pout. He ambled into the valley, his geta sandals crunching on the gravel. "I bring you the good stuff to share, and this is the welcome I get?"
"Ahaha! Naruto! You finally made it!" A wide, goofy grin split Shanks's face. He ran up to the man—Uzumaki Naruto—and clapped him hard on the shoulder. "It's been too long!"
By now, Mihawk had also sheathed Yoru and walked over, his expression unreadable. "Naruto Uzumaki," he said, his voice a low baritone. "Your reputation is well-deserved. To take a blow like that with your bare hands is no small feat." As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the simple sword hanging at Naruto's waist, an uchigatana judging by the scabbard.
"I would be honored to test my skills against yours in a duel."
Faced with Mihawk's palpable fighting spirit, Naruto just smiled. "Don't look at me," he said with a wry smile, waving a dismissive hand. "This old thing is just for show. When it comes to sword skills, I'm no match for the World's Greatest Swordsman."
Before Mihawk could press the issue, Naruto lifted the cask of sake. "But if it's a drinking contest you want, I'll take you on anytime!"
For men who lived and breathed the freedom of the sea, a good fight and a grand banquet were two of life's greatest pleasures. Even the famously aloof Mihawk couldn't disagree.
As dusk painted the sky in shades of orange and purple, the group gathered around a roaring bonfire, the sounds of feasting and laughter filling the air.
CLINK!
Three wooden cups collided. In perfect sync, the three strongest men on the island downed their sake.
"Ahhh! Now that's the good stuff!" Shanks slammed his empty cup down, his face already flushed.
Beside him, Mihawk nodded in silent agreement, a rare, small smile gracing his features.
"Of course it is," Naruto said, showing no signs of intoxication. "I, uh... 'borrowed' it from Old Man Rayleigh." He took another sip, his expression momentarily clouding over.
Seeing the subtle shift, Shanks's own smile faded. "Naruto... this time, did you...?"
Naruto's gaze fell to his cup. "Yeah... still no luck."
Hearing their exchange, Mihawk quietly set his own cup down, listening.
"To be honest, it's been over twenty years," Naruto admitted with a bitter laugh, draining another cup. "I'm starting to forget what home even looked like."
Ever since Captain Roger had found him adrift at sea and rescued him all those years ago, he had been searching for a way back to the Hidden Leaf Village. But it was as if his world had never existed. No one on these vast seas had ever heard of the Five Great Nations, or Konoha, or shinobis who wielded chakra. His hope had dwindled to a flicker when he'd visited Wano, only to find their "shinobi" were just Devil Fruit users, with not a single drop of chakra among them.
"Don't lose hope," Shanks said, clapping a firm, comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "I am sure you'll find your way back home."
"Honestly, I'm not even sure I want to go back anymore," Naruto confessed, his voice quiet. "I've spent more of my life on this sea than I ever did in that village. Maybe... maybe it's just an obsession at this point."
Sensing the mood souring, Shanks quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, thanks for your help last time. You really saved our skins with that Big Mom situation."
At the memory, a grin returned to Shanks's face. His crew had been clashing with the Beasts Pirates when, out of nowhere, the Big Mom Pirates had appeared on the horizon, led by her Three Sweet Commanders. It was impossible to know whose side she planned to take, but for the Red Hair Pirates, it was a disaster waiting to happen.
Then Naruto, who had been wandering nearby, heard the news. He went, alone, to intercept an Emperor's entire fleet. The world never learned what truly happened, but the next day, "Big News" Morgans published a world-shaking headline: BIG MOM PIRATES IN MYSTERIOUS RETREAT! LONE WOLF 'UZUMAKI NARUTO' ON THE SCENE!
From that day on, the name 'Uzumaki Naruto' was no longer confined to the whispers of the New World; it became a legend whispered across every sea.
"So, did you really take on the entire Big Mom crew by yourself?" one of the younger pirates asked, his voice filled with awe.
Naruto just laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Ah, well, they were surprisingly friendly! We ended up having a big party, shared some drinks, and they went home happy."
Though Naruto said it with a straight face, no one who knew the temperament of Charlotte Linlin believed a word of it. The truth, of course, was that Naruto had engaged Big Mom in a cataclysmic battle that ended in a hard-fought draw. It was only after the fighting stopped that Naruto, with his infectious charisma, insisted they all stay for a party on the high seas. He'd even become drinking buddies with her strongest commander, Charlotte Katakuri.
"You really are something else, Naruto," Shanks chuckled, shaking his head.
"Speaking of which," Naruto said, his eyes twinkling as he glanced at Shanks's missing left arm. "That little brat you bet on, the one you gave your arm and your dream for... isn't he about to set sail soon?"
Shanks's expression softened. "Yeah. Luffy turns seventeen this year."
"And you even gave him Captain Roger's hat," Naruto continued, setting down his cup and his smile slowly fading. He leaned forward, the playful light in his eyes replaced by the unwavering, intense, probing gaze. "I think I'll have to go see this kid for myself."
He leaned forward slightly. "To see if he's truly a man worthy of inheriting that will."
Shanks placed his own cup down with a definitive thud. The lazy, drunken aura around him evaporated, replaced by an oppressive pressure that seemed to suck the sound from the air—the unmistakable presence of a Conqueror.
"Naruto," Shanks said, his voice a low growl completely stripped of its earlier warmth. "That's my bet on the new era."
His single hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
"Don't do anything unnecessary."
Naruto didn't reply. He simply held his friend's gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips.
In an instant, the festive atmosphere shattered. Two immense pressures exploded from Shanks and Naruto, colliding between them. The air itself seemed to crackle as thick, black-and-red bolts of Conqueror's Haki lashed out, splitting the very ground and gouging deep fissures into the surrounding rock. The clash of wills was so titanic it tore the clouds in the sky asunder.
The newer members of the crew collapsed, foaming at the mouth, unable to withstand the sheer spiritual pressure.
"So... so strong!" one managed to choke out before passing out.
"This is Uzumaki Naruto... No wonder the World Government wants him so badly! This presence is... it's suffocating!"
Meanwhile, veterans like Lucky Roux and Yasopp simply continued their conversations, barely acknowledging the cataclysmic event happening a few feet away.
The clash of Haki hung in the air for a tense ten seconds before, as if by some unspoken agreement, both men withdrew their power simultaneously.
"Hahahaha! You haven't lost your touch, Shanks," Naruto boomed, raising his cup once more.
"Don't kid me," Shanks shot back, a grin returning to his own face as if nothing had happened. "You weren't even going all out, were you?"
"Don't talk like I'm an old man," Naruto chuckled. "You're only a year or two younger than me."
"And yet you look half my age!" Shanks grumbled, though he was laughing. "It's not fair."
Mihawk, seated beside them, merely took a calm sip of his sake. He had seen this before. He knew they had no real killing intent. Still... his hawk-like eyes bored through the firelight, fixed on Naruto. A clash of this magnitude, and neither is using their full power? Uzumaki Naruto… just how strong are you? I truly hope I get the chance to find out one day.
"Hehe, but you already look like a weathered old man," Naruto teased mercilessly. He wasn't wrong. While Naruto appeared eternally in his early twenties, the thirty-seven-year-old Shanks, with his rugged features and the weight of an Emperor on his shoulders, could easily pass for a decade older.
"Just for that..." Shanks grumbled, raising his cup. He downed one, then two, then three more in rapid succession... before his eyes rolled back and he slumped to the ground, out cold.
Naruto looked down at his old friend and shook his head with a fond smile. "After all these years, you're still such a lightweight."
He drained his own cup, then stood, raising it high into the air, his voice echoing across the beach.
"Alright! Who's next?!"
"YEAHHH!!"
The crew of the Red Hair Pirates roared in approval, raising their own cups in a unified chorus. The banquet raged on, the fires burning bright against the night sky.
The night, and the drinking, were far from over.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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